Windows Experience Blog : Windows Live suite

Submitting Feedback for the Windows Live Apps and Services

Brandon LeBlanc — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:07:00 GMT

I get this question a lot from folks testing and using the Windows Live apps and services: How do I submit feedback?

There are several really good options users can use to submit feedback for Windows Live. I'm going to showcase those options here.

1. Windows Live - Send Feedback (feedback.live.com). Users can go to feedback.live.com and choose from the list of available Windows Live applications and services to leave feedback for. This site is open to *anyone*. Each team has a mechanism internally for taking in this feedback or suggestion as they continue their work. Once you click on a specific app or service - you will be directed to a feedback for to fill out.

2. Windows Live Product Team Blogs. Almost all the Windows Live apps and services have an official team blog you can visit to read the latest from their team about their product. This can also be a great place for leaving feedback. Many of these blogs allow for comments. You can leave feedback and suggestions through leaving a comment on their blog (all you need to do is log in with your Windows Live ID). How do you find all the team blogs? Simple. I have created a special page specifically for all the Microsoft Team Blogs that exist. You can see the list of Windows Live blogs here. The Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Mail teams even have a blog specifically set up for email support. You can also visit the new Windows Live Wire blog for all the Windows Live blogs as well.

These two options are available to anyone wanting to leave feedback on the Windows Live applications (such as Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Writer) or the Windows Live web services (such as Windows Live SkyDrive, Windows Live Hotmail, and Windows Live Spaces).

Please take note: in leaving feedback either through feedback.live.com or a specific Windows Live product blog - try to be constructive in the feedback you leave. Saying "this product sucks" is not constructive feedback. Instead - try explaining why you feel the product or service is not working for you and what you think they could do to make it better. This kind of feedback will help the Windows Live teams plan and ship changes, enhancements, and features that will be the product or service better for everyone. Not to sound cliché but - you can make a difference.

In writing about the Windows Live apps and services here - both Nick and I try to relay as much feedback via our comments as possible to the specific Windows Live teams as well.

Edit and Share Photos and Videos with Windows Live Photo Gallery

Brandon LeBlanc — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:25:00 GMT

Along with updated betas for Windows Live Messenger 8.5, Windows Live Mail, and Windows Live Writer - users can now install and test the second beta of Windows Live Photo Gallery. Back in June, Microsoft announced Windows Live Photo Gallery as the successor to Windows Photo Gallery in Windows Vista with a closed beta program. Starting today - anyone can now choose to install and try out Windows Live Photo Gallery.

This new release of Windows Live Photo Gallery offers some impressive enhancements over the previous beta as well as the existing Windows Photo Gallery in Windows Vista.

First off, users get improved color adjustment and cropping capabilities for fixing their photos. These enhancements allow users to easily make changes to their photos before sharing them. You can now adjust the detail of your image by sharpening your image up or change the levels of shadow and highlights in the image's exposure. Under "Adjust exposure" users now have a Histogram of their photos. This will help in adjusting the right levels for making your images look the best.

A new feature has been added to Windows Live Photo Gallery that will make many users happy (I for one am crazy about this feature). Users can now right-click on an image file to resize that image. You can even select multiple images and resize them together (batch resize was a popular feature request by users).

I do a ton of resizing images and being able to do this right from Windows Live Photo Gallery is a deal thing for me.

With shooting a ton of photos, not all of those photos turn out to be worth anything. So why import them onto the PC? With Windows Photo Gallery I was unable to preview and pick and choose the images I want to import off my camera. With Windows Live Photo Gallery you can with the new Photo and Video Import tool.

The Photo and Import Tool is a lot smarter in Windows Live Photo Gallery. It will list your images by date and allow you to enter names and tags for different photos on different dates.

After importing your images and fixing them all up - Windows Live Photo Gallery lets you publish those photos to your Windows Live Space. This makes it incredibly easier to share photos with friends and family. In importing photos to your Windows Live Space, you can create an entirely new album of photos or add the photos to existing albums already on your Windows Live Space.

You'll notice that Windows Live Photo Gallery supports the recently announced new optimize feature for your photos when publishing them to Windows Live Spaces. By choosing to "Optimize photos for printing" - your photos will be uploaded to Windows Live Spaces at a higher quality so that you can either print your own photos or order prints of your photos online. Users can also enjoy impressive full screen slide shows from Windows Live Spaces after uploading higher quality images through Windows Live Photo Gallery. Through Windows Live Spaces, you can take advantage of their new partnership with HP Snapfish (U.S. only currently - with more markets expected to come online later). Click here to read a bit from Windows Live Spaces Product Manager Chris Keating on Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Spaces.

Users are not only able to publish photos to Windows Live Spaces, but also videos to Soapbox on MSN Video.

Another on my favorite new features is the ability to create a panoramic photo. You can take a series of photos and stitch them together to create a panoramic photo. Here is a panoramic photo of the parking lot at my apartment complex (I stitched 8 photos together to create it):

If you love Windows Photo Gallery - you're definitely going to love Windows Live Photo Gallery. .

Keep your eyes on the Microsoft Photography and Video Blog. Matter a fact, Program Manager Scott Dart has posted pointing people to where they can download Windows Live Photo Gallery. Expect to hear more from Scott and his team very soon.

In testing out the latest Windows Live Photo Gallery release, be sure to submit feedback using feedback.live.com. This is the best place to submit bugs you may found.

Announcing the Windows Live suite with unified installer

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:05:00 GMT

Today Chris Jones, Corporate Vice President of Windows Live Experience Program Management, has announced the availability today of new betas for the new wave of Windows Live applications. These new beta releases showcase Microsoft's goal in releasing the new Windows Live applications together. These new betas are being released with a brand new unified installer for the Windows Live suite. Users will be able to download a single installer for the Windows Live suite in which they can pick and choose the specific Windows Live apps they want to install on their PC's.

To showcase the new installer for the Windows Live Suite - I've got a video demo on how the new installer works. Check it out:

Video: Windows Live Installer Demo

The unified installer is an impressive addition to Windows Live and is a much easier install experience for the user.

Shipping with today's betas is also the broad availability of the new Windows Live Photo Gallery. Previously, Windows Live Photo Gallery was a closed beta. With the new unified installer for the Windows Live Suite, users can now choose to install Windows Live Photo Gallery. I'll be talking more about Windows Live Photo Gallery in separate post very soon.

The Windows Live suite currently consists of Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, and Windows Live Photo Gallery with Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. These applications bridge the gap between the Windows Vista PC and the Windows Live web services. Windows Live Mail allows you to sync your email and contacts from Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Photo Gallery lets you publish your images to Windows Live Spaces. Overall, the Windows Live suite is designed to extend your Windows experience by tapping into Windows Live. Of course choice comes with the Windows Live Suite as well. You can use Windows Live Mail to check any POP3 or IMAP email account and Windows Live Writer supports a great variety of online blogging services.

Give the Windows Live Suite a try today.

Update 1:16PM PDT - Looks like the Windows Live installer page is now online. Give it a shot!